Application Information

Application Information

Option A - Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship

• Must submit a Declaration of Intent to Complete form or a verification statement from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) or Foreign Dietitian Education Program (FDE) by a U.S. accredited college/university or foreign equivalent.
• Master's degree granted by a college or university accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency or foreign equivalent.
• To apply, students must apply through the Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application Service (DICAS) platform.
• Upon completion, students will earn a verification statement for completing supervised practice experiences and be eligible to complete the registration examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration to become a Registered Dietitian.

Option B - Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship and Michigan State University Master’s Degree

• Must submit a Declaration of Intent to Complete form or a verification statement from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) or Foreign Dietitian Education Program (FDE) by a U.S. accredited college/university or foreign equivalent.
• To apply, students must first apply through the Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application Service (DICAS) platform.
• Once accepted, students will then apply to the Michigan State University Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics (MSND) program.
• Of note, students must be accepted into MSU’s graduate school to complete this pathway.
• Upon completion of this pathway, students will earn a graduate degree, a verification statement for completing supervised practice experiences, and be eligible to complete the registration examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration to become a Registered Dietitian.

Additional Application Requirements

Students are responsible for obtaining and covering the cost of all application materials. The Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship does not provide application forms or materials on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.

• Minimum GPA - A 3.0 is the minimum grade point average an applicant must have to be considered for an appointment to the Program.
• Prior Work Experience - Professional experiences in hospital, clinical dietetics, or hospital food service, in community nutrition or in any health care or food service activity along with supervisory experiences are evaluated. Experiences may be as an employee or as a volunteer: forty (40) hours minimum and confirmation of this experience is required in at least one of the reference letters.
• Activities & Organizations - Applicants' extracurricular activities and organizational memberships provide additional insight into their interests and ability to work with others, motivation, maturity and leadership potential.
• Three (3) letters of reference from advisors / faculty / employers.
• Unofficial academic transcripts from each institution where courses were completed.

Foreign Degree Requirements

Applicants, who have obtained their education outside of the U.S. and its territories, must have their academic degree(s) validated as equivalent to the degree conferred by a regionally accredited college or university in the U.S. The original foreign degree equivalency statement must accompany the application form. Validation of a foreign degree does not eliminate the need for a Verification Statement of completion of a Didactic Program in Dietetics. Please refer to this website for further information: Foreign Degree Evaluation Agencies.

Selection of Dietetic Students

A total of eight (8) students are accepted into the Henry Ford Dietetic Internship.

Student Selection: The Henry Ford Dietetic Internship has a Dietetic Internship Advisory Board and Internship Selection Committee involved in the selection of students. The committee reviews each application for overall GPA, GPA for professional and science courses, work experience, letters of recommendation, letter of application, extracurricular activities, virtual interview and leadership potential. Additionally, the application is evaluated on content, clarity, thoroughness and presentation. Written communication skills and personal objectives are important in the process. The internship program selection criteria aligns with Michigan State University (MSU) graduate program selection standards.

Student Interview: Once the committee identifies selects students, the program director schedules virtual interviews with selected students. Any expenses incurred because of the interview are the responsibility of the applicant. Applicants are welcome to tour the facility and meet with the program director. The virtual interview is planned for 30 minutes and aims to evaluate the student on their ability to cope with change, conflict management skills, decision making skills, and communication skills.

Nondiscrimination: Henry Ford Health, its affiliates and educational programs do not discriminate against applicants to its programs. Application forms do not require information about race, religion, sex, national origin, age, height, weight, marital status, familial status, handicap or disabled veteran status. After admission, a request may be made for some of the above information for analysis of admission trends.

Application Deadline

For the 2026-2027 academic year:

January 15, 2027 is the application deadline. Students receiving an offer, are waitlisted (if 8 offers have been extended), or are rejected will be notified by March 1, 2027. Students have until March 15, 2027 to notify the program of a decision.

Application Fees

The Dietetics Centralized Application System (DICAS) charges $50 for the first program applied to and $25 for each additional program. Applicants must register on the dicas.liaisoncas.com, pay the computer matching fee with a credit card and submit their prioritized list of selected dietetic internships online to D&D Digital before the designated deadline dates. For help with DICAS application-related questions, contact DICAS support at support@dicas.myliaison.com or by phone at (617) 612-2855. If you need accommodations or assistance regarding the accessibility of DICAS, please contact customer support at (617) 612-2855.

The Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship has a $100.00 non-refundable fee that must be paid and post-marked by January 15th for all applicants. Checks should be made payable to Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship and sent to:

Dietetic Internship Program
c/o Michelle Gilleran, PhD, MS, RDN
Henry Ford Hospital
Department of Food and Nutrition Services
2799 West Grand Boulevard
Detroit, Michigan 48202-2689

Return of Application Materials

Application materials of those persons not receiving an appointment to HFH are not returned.

Student Appointment

Once prospective students have provided the program director with an affirmative decision to complete the Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship, a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) verification statement and an official transcript documenting completion of the undergraduate degree (Option B) and graduate degree (Option A) before starting the dietetic internship.

For students accepted into the Option B pathway, an application to the Master of Science Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at Michigan State University must be submitted. To apply, follow the instructions on https://grad.msu.edu/apply. Acceptance into the Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship is contingent upon acceptance to the graduate school at Michigan State University. If not accepted into MSU, the student may not continue in the Option B pathway.